AL-56 Flashfighter
The AL-56 Flashfighter was the standard combat superiority multi-role fighter in service with the Royal Allegiance. Introduced in 2697, it was a revolution in terms of compactness, versatility and agility. Due to a simple design and easy to repair construction, coupled with adaptability and ease of updated, the Flashfighter remained in service in one form or another for almost one hundred and fifty years. Role The Flashfighter was a small, agile and fast fighter designed for a broad spectrum of roles. It was able to perform as a starfighter interdictor, bomber destroyer, ground attack and even warship engagement to a limited degree. Thanks to its maneuverability it was able to perform a wide range of aerobatics at short notice such as flipping, rotating on the spot, barrel rolls and other evasive actions, made possible by numerous thruster jets mounted around the craft. In atmosphere these ware not possible, so the Flashfighter lost its biggest advantage. It could come out on top in most dogfights even if outnumbered. With specialised weaponry it was even capable of engaging enemy warships, although mainly supporting the assault of larger units. These ships were also commonly employed as the escorts of Raptor Bombers, and also in a point defense role of protecting vulnerable capital ships or locations. Often they were employed in a defensive capacity against the Swarm fighters, or as escorts and support ships to convoys and cruisers. Usage and the AL-56 Flashfighter.]] The Flashfighter was designed to utilised the electronic 'fly-by-wire' system, however due to size limitations and budget constraints, this was removed from the final version. The manufacturer, Avalon Orbital, warned that without the assistance of the FBW, performance would suffer, and suggested designing another fighter capable of using the FBW. The Council of Five, aware of time and budget limitations, overrode the manufacturers and proceeded with production and distribution. As a result the Flashfighter was notoriously difficult to control and stubborn at times, meaning only the best pilots could exploit the fighter's extraordinary speed and agility. Pilot fitness could be no less than perfect; they were routinely subjected to, and expected to withstand, extreme Gs in combat. On top of this they were expected to excel in combat. Layout The basic layout of the Flashfighter essentially consists of a pair of long, flat wings, an airframe between them, and two cylindrical engines mounted on pylons behind. The Flashfighter's wings had a large surface area, allowing the fighter to easily lose excess heat energy generated by hectic combat activity. Mounted on the ends of each wing, ventrally and dorsally, were small banks of thrusters that enabled acute agility. Within the wings were ammunition stores and fuel tanks. This made them vulnerable to internal explosions. In space a Flashfighter would probably function with the loss of wings but in atmosphere this was not true, as the wings provided most of the lift necessary for atmospheric operations. Extending from behind the wings were two atmospheric ailerons, which negated the loss of the thruster jets in atmosphere by providing another dimension of extreme manoeuvrability. Mounted between the wings was a small airframe which contained the cockpit. It was exposed and so vulnerable to fire, and was angular and streamlined assisting in atmospheric operations and reducing the ship's profile. The cramped cockpit was occupied by a single pilot. The Flashfighter's engines were large, powerful cylindrical Royal Dynamics X4 Thrust units. The engines were custom designed by the Allegiance's state-owned military designer, to ensure top-quality in every aspect. Without the superior engines, the Flashfighter became just another underpowered, weak starfighter. The engines were mounted on relatively thin pylons protruding from the rear airframe. The purpose of this was to lessen the amount of heat from the engines being passed to the rest of the fighter. They pylons could withstand the stresses of supporting the engines as well as small amounts of enemy fire. Mounted on the engines were two tail fins, providing stability in atmosphere. Armament Running along the inside edge of the wings were two long-barreled 12mm Machine Guns, providing a versatile light armament for most uses. The long barrels increased range considerably and were rifled. On the outside edges of the wings were two 65mm autocannons, providing a powerful armament for dogfights and lightly armoured targets. They were fed by two belts inside the wings. Commonly ammunition pods were stored underneath the wings on dedicated hardpoints for extended missions. Later on in their service, from about 2740 onwards, as energy weapon miniaturisation advanced, the autocannons were replaced with small Particle Cannons, which were more versatile in general and more powerful, as well as possessing higher ammunition capacity. Mounted on the tops of the tail fins were two ordnance launchers, able to fire THOR Multi-Purpose Missiles, INTERCEPTOR air-to-air missiles, WASP air-to-surface missiles, torpedoes or warheads according to specific mission types or pilot preferences. This provided an adaptable element that proved very effective to specific purpose missions. Beneath each wing were two racks capable of carrying standard chemical explosive bombs for dropping on ground targets, Air-to-Air missiles for space and atmosphere dogfights, HPHE (High Penetration High Explosive) warheads, or tactical nuclear warheads. Weaknesses The controls of the AL-56 were notoriously difficult to control, which almost negated its battlefield potency. In addition, it mounted no shield generator due to its size, and was protected by little armour. As the fighter could not withstand any amount of fire for a sustained period of time, the pilots relied on its high linear acceleration and agility to avoid fire. The fighter was easily damaged and as a result, had the worst maintenance to flight ratio of all craft employed by the Allegiance. It was noted, however, for being able to take massive amounts of damage and injury and still remain operational. This was more true in space combat where aerodynamics or lift surfaces did not make any difference. A notable example was Matt Sarens fighter, which, during the Battle of the Antaeus Nebula, sustained one lost engine, port wing blown off, remaining rear tail fin lost, starboard cannon jammed, cracks to his cockpit canopy and shrapnel embedded in his fuel tank. His fighter was able to make it back to its carrier, pursued by hundreds of Swarm fighters. Takeoff and Landing As Flashfighters were too small to mount anti-grav engines, they were incapable of hovering or VTOL. The only exception to this was when taking off from specialised flight decks which used electromagnets to levitate the fighters off the ground, facilitating rapid thrust takeoff. For example, a Flashfighter would be able to rise into the air, taxi in mid-air out of the ship alcove to the main flight deck, and then engage its main engines and proceed under its own power in a linear direction. When these fighters were being recalled, their high velocity meant they could not be safely made to hover by the flight control computer, necessitating a large and long flight deck. Other, larger but less numerous craft launched from landing pads on a raised platform (as they possessed their own anti-grav engines), keeping them separate from the fighters to avoid mid-air collisions which plagued earlier flight decks. Generally these fighters were housed in squadrons of twelve. The general number carried on an Apollo-class was 48, or four squadrons. This could be increased to a maximum of 72 starfighters but at the detriment of other flight elements such as dropships. Behind the Scenes *I designed this with the F-35 and F-22 in mind. The fighter looks more like a Star Wars ship than I would have liked. *It is also intentionally visually similar to the Mark II Viper from Battlestar Galactica. *The necessity of a 'large and long flight deck' was just an excuse to include flight decks similar to those on Battlestar Galactica on my own cruisers. Category:Ship Classes of The Royal Allegiance Category:Vehicles of The Royal Allegiance